Bullpen: Addison Reed

And while guys like Matt Thornton, Nate Jones and Jesse Crain lead an above-average bullpen, Addison Reed is the guy who holds the key.

He will need to build off last year’s 29 saves this season for the White Sox to take the Central.

It will take some work. See, Reed wastes too many pitches at times and has not developed enough confidence in his slider.

The lack of confidence in his full arsenal led to a string of 19 consecutive appearances last season in which he failed to retire the side in order (h/t Matt Spiegel, 670 The Score). He is off to a good start in 2013, collecting saves in each of the first two games.

If Reed can find the faith in his secondary pitches and save 40 games or more, the White Sox are in good shape. With a team built around pitching and defense, there will be ample opportunity to protect one-run leads.